A TV bed suits a bedroom where you want the screen out of sight when it is switched off, where drilling into the wall is difficult or not allowed, and where there is enough length in the room for a slightly longer frame. A wall mounted television suits a bedroom where floor space at the foot of the bed is tight, the walls can take a secure fixing and you are happy to keep an existing bed. Both work well in the right setting, and the deciding factors are usually practical rather than stylistic.<\/p>\n
We stock a wide range of modern TV beds UK<\/a> alongside our full collection of bedroom furniture UK sale<\/a>, so we see both approaches in real homes. Below we compare them point by point to help you decide which one fits your room and routine.<\/p>\n A TV bed has a motorised lift inside the footboard. Your television is fixed to a bracket within that housing and rises at the press of a button. When you lower it, the footboard closes and the bed looks like any other upholstered frame. The television, mechanism and cabling all live inside the bed.<\/p>\n A wall mounted television is fixed to a bracket on the wall opposite the bed, sometimes above a chest of drawers or a low unit. Fixed brackets hold the screen flat against the wall, while tilting and swivel brackets let you adjust the angle. Our wall TV brackets UK<\/a> range covers these different styles.<\/p>\n With a TV bed, the screen rises to sit just above the footboard, close to your eye line when you are propped up against the headboard. Many people find this comfortable because they are not tilting their head upwards. The distance between your eyes and the screen is fixed by the length of the bed, which suits most modern televisions of moderate size.<\/p>\n With a wall mounted set, height is in your hands. The common mistake in bedrooms is mounting the screen too high, as you might above a fireplace in a living room. When you are reclining, a television placed at standing eye level can strain your neck. A tilting bracket helps, and so does mounting lower than feels instinctive. The advantage of the wall is flexibility: you can choose a larger screen and set the distance to suit it.<\/p>\n A TV bed is longer than a standard bed of the same size because of the footboard housing. In a room where you already squeeze past the end of the bed to reach the wardrobe, that extra length matters. Measure from the headboard wall to the nearest obstruction and compare it with the full external length of the frame, not just the mattress size.<\/p>\n A wall mounted television takes up almost no floor space, but it often needs something beneath it to look settled. Many people place a low unit or a modern chest of drawers UK<\/a> under the screen, which gives you storage and a surface for a lamp or speaker. In that case, the space saving is smaller than it first appears, though you gain drawers in return.<\/p>\n This is often the deciding point. Many rented homes do not permit drilling, and even where they do, filling and repainting holes at the end of a tenancy is a chore. Plasterboard stud walls, common in newer UK homes and conversions, need the right fixings or a bracket screwed into a timber stud. Older solid brick walls are sturdier but can hide pipes and cables, so checking with a detector before drilling is wise.<\/p>\n A TV bed avoids all of this. It needs only a nearby plug socket. When you move, the television goes with the bed rather than leaving holes behind. For renters and anyone who moves every few years, that independence from the walls is a real advantage.<\/p>\n Trailing cables are the quickest way to make a bedroom feel untidy. A TV bed keeps the power lead and any connected devices inside the footboard, with a single cable running to the socket. A wall mounted set needs cables routed down the wall, either in a surface trunking channel or chased into the plaster. Trunking is quick and renter friendly but visible. Chasing is neat but involves more work and redecoration.<\/p>\n Think too about streaming sticks, soundbars and set top boxes. A TV bed housing usually has room for a small streaming device, while larger boxes need a nearby surface. With a wall mount, a unit beneath the screen is the natural home for these.<\/p>\n A bedroom should feel restful, and a large black screen on the wall can draw the eye even when it is switched off. A TV bed removes that completely. When the television is lowered, the room reads as a bedroom rather than a second lounge, which many people find helps them wind down.<\/p>\n That said, a wall mounted set can look sleek in a modern, pared back scheme, especially when framed by a well chosen unit and some artwork. If you love your current bed frame, or if you favour a particular style such as a low platform bed, keeping the bed and mounting the television on the wall lets you hold on to that look. Our guide to styling TV units with bedroom furniture in UK homes<\/a> shows how to make a screen and unit sit comfortably within a bedroom scheme.<\/p>\n If you tend to fall asleep with the television on, consider how each option handles that. Most televisions have a sleep timer, and with a TV bed you can lower the screen as part of your bedtime routine, physically putting it away. That small ritual can make it easier to separate watching from sleeping. A wall mounted screen stays in view, which some people find makes it harder to switch off.<\/p>\n Partners with different habits matter too. With a TV bed, the screen sits centrally at the foot, so both sides of the bed get a similar view. With a wall mount, a swivel bracket can angle the screen towards one side if needed.<\/p>\n Bedrooms are usually quieter than living rooms, so television speakers are often enough. Even so, the position of the screen affects how it sounds. A television inside a TV bed footboard faces you directly from a short distance, which keeps dialogue clear at low volume. That is helpful if you share a wall with a neighbour or have children sleeping nearby.<\/p>\n A wall mounted set can sound a little hollow if its speakers fire backwards into a hard wall, though a compact speaker on the unit below solves that. Glare is the other consideration. A screen on the wall opposite a window may catch reflections during the day, while a TV bed screen is lower and often sits out of the direct line of light. Notice where the sun falls in your room in the morning and late afternoon before deciding.<\/p>\n Think beyond the first week. Televisions are replaced more often than beds, and the next one you buy may be larger or slimmer than your current set. With a wall mount, a new screen usually means checking the bracket rating and perhaps fitting a new bracket. With a TV bed, it means checking the maximum screen size listed for the housing, so it is wise to leave a little headroom when you choose.<\/p>\n Redecorating is another factor. A wall mount fixes the screen to one spot, which limits how you rearrange the room later. A TV bed moves with the bed, so if you decide to swap the bed onto a different wall, the television follows without any extra work. For households that like to refresh their bedroom every few years, that flexibility is worth weighing.<\/p>\n A TV bed tends to work better if you rent, want the television hidden, have reasonable length at the foot of the room and are buying a new bed anyway. A wall mounted television tends to work better if your room is short from headboard to opposite wall, you prefer a larger screen, you want to keep your current bed or you plan to stay in the home for many years and are happy to install fixings properly.<\/p>\nHow Each Option Works<\/h3>\n
Viewing Height and Comfort<\/h3>\n
Space and Layout<\/h3>\n
Walls, Renting and Installation<\/h3>\n
Cables and Tidiness<\/h3>\n
The Look and Feel of the Room<\/h3>\n
Screen Habits and Sleep<\/h3>\n
Sound and Picture Quality<\/h3>\n
Living With Each Option Over Time<\/h3>\n
Which Should You Choose?<\/h3>\n